Tuesday, April 13, 2004

TEEN TITANS NEW EPISODES

The second season of Teen Titans will conclude in May with four new episodes. "Betrayal" and "Fractured" will debut on Wednesday, May 5, with "Aftershock, Pt. 1" and "Aftershock, Pt. 2" on Thursday, May 6.

Following are descriptions of the new episodes:

"BETRAYAL"

After a few weeks as a Teen Titan, Terra has everything she ever wanted: a nice home, good friends, and even a little romance with Beast Boy. Everything seems perfect ... but is it?

"FRACTURED"

When Robin accidentally wrecks the R-Cycle while pursuing a nasty thug named Johnny Rancid, he winds up with his arm in a cast -- and doubt in himself. Lucky for Robin, he gets a helpful visit from his Number One Fan: a short little weirdo from another dimension known as Larry the Titan! But unlucky for Robin, Larry's reality-bending powers cause more problems than they fix. Can Robin get his nerve back and take down Johnny Rancid before Larry's "help" breaks the fabric of spacetime and destroys reality as we know it?

"AFTERSHOCK, PART ONE"

A long lost friend of the Titans returns with a vengenance -- and Slade orders Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus to launch a series of sinister strikes all over the city. Can our heroes stop three monsters, Slade, and their newest enemy? Or will the Teen Titans finally be destroyed?

"AFTERSHOCK, PART TWO"

In a world without Titans, Slade has taken control of everything: the streets, the city, and the heart of his young Apprentice. But ... are our heroes really gone?

Following is a rundown of Teen Titans episodes in May:

"Date with Destiny" at 6:30 p.m. and "Transformation" at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 3; "Titan Rising" at 6:30 p.m. and "Winner Take All" at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4; "Betrayal" at 6:30 p.m. and "Fractured" at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5; "Aftershock, Pt. 1" at 6:30 p.m. and "Aftershock, Pt. 2" at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 6; "Divide" and "Conquer" at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7; "Deep Six" at noon on Saturday, May 8.

"Sisters" at 6:30 p.m. and "Final Exam" at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 10; "Forces of Nature" at 6:30 p.m. and "The Sum of His Parts" on 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11; "Nevermore" at 6:30 p.m. and "Switched" at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12; "Deep Six" at 6:30 p.m. and "Mask" at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 13; "Mad Mod" at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14; and "Mask" at noon on Saturday, May 15.

"Car Trouble" at 6:30 p.m. and "Apprentice, Pt. 1" at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 17; "Apprentice, Pt. 2" at 6:30 p.m. and "How Long is Forever" at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18; "Every Dog Has His Day" at 6:30 p.m. and "Terra" at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19; "Only Human" at 6:30 p.m. and "Fear Itself" at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 20; "Date with Destiny" at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 21; and "Mad Mod" at noon Saturday, May 22.

"Transformation" at 6:30 p.m. and "Titan Rising" at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 24; "Winner Take All" at 6:30 p.m. and "Betrayal" at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25; "Fractured" at 6:30 p.m. and "Aftershock, Pt. 1" at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26; "Aftershock, Pt. 2" at 6:30 p.m. and "Divide and Conquer" at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 27; "Sisters" on Friday, May 28; and "Car Trouble" at noon on Saturday, May 29.

FIRST LOOKS

TOMB RAIDER IN IRELAND

Lara Croft goes to the Irish countryside for "Towers of Souls," a two-part story that starts in June's Tomb Raider #43.

"It takes place in an Irish haunted castle, and Lara Croft gets trapped in there," writer James Bonny told The Continuum.

Here's how Top Cow describes the issue:

"Lara Croft travels to the Irish countryside to search for a legendary talisman buried beneath a medieval castle where centuries ago, unspeakable tortures took place. What happens when Lara finds the castle remains a place of eternal torment for the wretched spirits imprisoned within?"

Bonny told The Continuum that he plans on writing Tomb Raider for "the forseeable future" and said that it really isn't a problem writing a licensed character.

"There are certain things you have to avoid; they really don't like too much romance," he said. "She is a set character, sort of a female James Bond. Things around her change, but she's pretty much the same person."

Bonny is also devloping a new concept with Top Cow that he hopes to translate into film.

OEMING'S SIX AT IMAGE

Written and inked with a cover by Michael Avon Oeming, co-written by Dan Berman, and penciled by Ethen Beavers, Six is a black-and-white one-shot from Image Comics, hitting stands in August.

Here's how Image describes the book:

"When aliens come to visit, it's not always in a flying saucer. Sometimes they travel in dreams.

"What happens when an alien mind is exposed to the logic and emotion of
'humanity' through dreams? Agent Six is about to find out as he takes
a trip through the human psyche in an effort to recover rogue alien
agents sent to Earth to study us."

When asked to describe the plot, Oeming put things in cinematic terms:

"The story is really weird, kind a of a mix of Richard Linklater's
Waking Life and The Hidden, a great B-movie from the eighties. Or, for
you art snobs, Jean-Luc Godard's whacked-out classic, Alphaville."

Beavers, who
has previously done back-ups for Jay Faerber's Noble Causes. "Ethen is
amazing. I'll be working again with him in the future," said
Oeming. "I've also asked writing partner Daniel Berman to help out on
this. I'd written the comic script and screenplay for a short film, but
felt something was missing. Dan stepped in and added just what was
needed - a fresh insight."

Oeming wanted to make it clear after recent internet speculation that
he was eager to get started on his next project for Image.

"Working with Image over the years has been great, and with our Powers
move to Icon, I thought it really important to quickly follow up with
an Image project," said Oeming. "Luckily this just happened to be
ready."

Six will be 56 pages.

BRIEFLY

She creator Billy Tucci received 13 stitches after severely cutting his left index finger in a household accident, delaying the April arrival of Shi- Ju-Nen #1 from Dark Horse Comics until May.

"Believe it or not, I cut my finger when I snapped off a porcelain doorknob," Tucci said. "When I saw my finger flapping around like that, I thought my career was over."

Because of the severity of the cut and the nerve damage, Billy had to keep the finger completely immobilized for almost a month, an act that obviously kept him away from the drawing board.

The four-issue mini-series will continue shipping on a bi-monthly schedule, concluding in October.

Coming Wednesday: Animation news -- and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links: